


The Five Avengers That Saw Through Tony Stark and The One Who Didn't

by Gayshippingiselementary



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Bisexual Bucky Barnes, Bisexual Tony Stark, Blushing Tony Stark, Clint Barton Is a Good Bro, Clint Barton is an asshole, M/M, Natasha Romanov Is a Good Bro, Natasha Romanov Knows All, Oblivious Steve Rogers, Oblivious Tony Stark, Steve Rogers Is a Good Bro, The Avengers Are Good Bros, Thor (Marvel) is Not Stupid, Tony Stark Feels, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark is a Bucky Barnes fan, and he always has been, winteriron
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-13
Updated: 2019-02-18
Packaged: 2019-09-17 06:51:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,994
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16969782
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gayshippingiselementary/pseuds/Gayshippingiselementary
Summary: Tony has been weird around Bucky since he got to the tower. Slowly, the members of his team start to see through his act.i.e. Bucky and Tony are pining idiots, and their friends are long suffering.





	1. Natasha

Tony Stark was complicated person. He was closed off and snarky and kind of an asshole and tried not to show any emotion at all. That’s what led Natasha to make her original assessment of his character. Staring at Tony Stark now, she kind of wanted to punch her younger self in the face. Tony was standing in the kitchen attempting to carry on a conversation with the tower’s new resident assassin. He clearly hadn’t had his morning coffee because he couldn’t really get a full word out. He was just stuttering and looking at Barnes with wide eyes. His arms were flailing around, and his eyes were desperate like he wanted something but couldn’t figure out how to get it. She could tell that Bucky was self conscious about it. He probably thought Tony was scared.  Tony snarled when he was scared; he lashed out at everything around him. Tony Stark was definitely not scared. She wasn’t entirely sure what he was because he wasn’t really speaking English, but she made a personal vow to watch him more closely.

Watching Tony more closely was the best decision Natasha had ever made. She hadn’t had this much fun in years. Even with caffeine, Tony seemed unable to act like a normal person around Barnes. He bounced up and down on his toes, skittered around, and did his level best not to look the man in the eye. When he accidently did lock eyes with Barnes, he stared for a solid minute before turning and busying himself with Bruce.

One particularly humorous interaction between them happened at night when Tony had clearly just come out of a workshop binge. He was too tired to try (and fail) to talk to Bucky, so it was off to a better start than any of their other interactions.

Tony’s hair was curling everywhere, and he had grease smudges all over his face. He was blinking slowly like a sleepy kitten. He saw Natasha and gave her a nod before scanning the kitchen for any abandoned coffee. He didn’t like to brew his own when he was this tired because his hands always started shaking.

The only coffee in the kitchen was currently being held by an exhausted super soldier. Bucky’s hair was pulled back into a bun, and he looked like he was back in the Winter Soldier eye liner because of the insane bags under his eyes.

Never the less, Bucky seemed to view this as a good time to establish a rapport with Tony. He slid the cup to the other side of the counter where Tony was.

Tony stared at the coffee for a good minute before picking it up and immediately dropping it. It smashed on the floor, but Tony’s expression didn’t change. It was almost like he was too stunned to acknowledge what had just happened.

Natasha knew that Tony was a human disaster and that this was normal behavior for the genius. Bucky however seemed to interpret it like Tony had destroyed his peace offering. He wrinkled his face and stormed off.

Tony let out a soft “oh” as he watched Bucky walk away.

Idiot.

Everyone that lived in this tower with her were idiots.

The first time Tony’s behavior towards Bucky was really addressed by anyone was when the team was having breakfast, and Tony was burying his face in his coffee. Natasha wasn’t sure what set Steve off, but he exploded.

“Enough, Tony.” Steve said.

“What?” Tony’s face immediately closed off as it often did when Steve chastised him. Natasha could have buried her face in her hands. This was sure to end in disaster.

“What is your issue with Bucky?”

“Steve!” Bucky whisper-shouted, but Tony was focused on the blonde in front of him.

An awful snarl formed on Tony’s face, but Natasha could see the hurt that lingered behind his eyes. He hated when Steve got mad at him. Steve had no idea, but Steve was an idiot, so Natasha was forced to deal with the repercussions every time it happened. Natasha assumed that the root of the two’s problems was their connection through Howard. Natasha didn’t know this for a fact, but she was almost positive that Steve was the measuring stick Howard applied to a young Tony. That was probably why Tony took so poorly to Steve criticizing him.

“If I had an issue with Barnes, he wouldn’t be here. You on the other hand, I would be happy to go a couple of rounds with.” The two men were leaning in each other’s faces, and oh no Natasha was going to have to deal with this soon.

“Stevie, stop. The solution to me making Stark uncomfortable is not you making Stark angry.” The man pulled Steve back into his seat, and Tony’s posture relaxed almost immediately.

“C’mon, Buck” The two men walked out of the kitchen.

Natasha turned back to Tony only to see him staring at Bucky’s back with a desperate look on his face. That was… longing. There was something childish about it too. Tony’s eyes were huge, and his whole face had gone soft. His hands worried at the bottom of his MIT shirt.

“Tony, he wants to be friends.” Natasha said softly.

Tony’s face closed off but lit up a soft pink, “I… I’m trying.”

Everything sort of clicked into place. She’d always known Tony had anxiety issues, but she had never really considered how they would affect him in daily life. Clearly, he was having hard time talking to Bucky for some reason. It had never bothered him with any of the other Avengers. Natasha wondered what was different this time.

“You should try talking to him in your element. Maybe try in the workshop? It might be easier.”

“You might be easier.” He snapped back before turning around.

“Tony that doesn’t even-” She didn’t bother to finish because Tony had already darted out of the room.

Natasha tried not to sigh. Tony wasn’t angry at Bucky, she knew what his anger looked like. She had seen the way his whole body shuddered to a cold silent stillness when looking at Justin Hammer. She’d seen the way he wielded his tongue like a weapon towards his enemies. That wasn’t this. She had never seen this before. Tony had said he was trying? Maybe Natasha was witnessing something new. Maybe this is what Tony looked like when he was trying desperately to be friends with someone, but his bravado wouldn’t back him up. She was interested to see it play out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Please leave a comment if you enjoy this story. I've already written four chapters so the updates should come regularly!


	2. Bruce

Bruce was surprised to see Tony and Barnes sitting together in the workshop. Tony was flailing his arms around like a crazy person; he was covered in oil and basically perched on top of Barnes chair. Bruce softened when he saw the way Bucky was looking at the tower’s resident genius. His face was warm, and Tony’s frantic state didn’t seem to bother him. Bruce pushed open the doors to hear Tony’s voice.

“The truly interesting thing about this is the way the neurotransmitters interface with the wiring. The implications on biotech are fascinating. It isn’t really my field of study, but the engineering part of it totally is, so if you can think of anything you need in the actual wiring of the arm I can totally help you out. I’d even make a new one if you wanted, I bet Bruce would help me with the sensitivity nodes.”

“That’d be swell, doll,” Bucky said with a broad smile.

Tony sputtered in response to the nickname before turning a pretty shade of red.

“Y-Yeah. I’ll do that.”

Bucky laughed at the eagerness in Tony’s expression.

Tony seemed even more flustered at Bucky’s laughter. He flicked his eyes around nervously and saw Bruce.

“Bruce!” Tony shouted.

Bruce almost flinched. So much for the first good moment he’d ever seen between Tony and Bucky, but Bucky didn’t look too put out. He was still staring at Tony with a pleasant smile. Almost like he found Tony’s quirks endearing.

From what Bruce could see, the two of them would probably make excellent friends.

Soon after that, Tony and Bruce were locked into the project of making Bucky a new arm. The two of them agreed that they wouldn’t let it take over their lives, but that agreement fell apart the second they started working together. The two of them would science until they literally fell asleep on their desks. It drove the other Avengers insane because there was no stopping the two of them once they started on a project, and Bruce knew logically that he and Tony were supposed to sleep and eat, but the science was so tantalizing.

One benefit of being a part of Operation Give Bucky Barnes A New Arm: Fuck Hydra Edition - as Tony coined it - other than the intellectual stimulation was the front row seat he got to watch Tony and Bucky stumble towards friendship.

Tony and Bucky didn’t seem to talk much in front of everyone else, but in the lab their relationship was different.

Bucky teased Tony with all the tenderness of someone who had been friends with him for many years, and Tony lit up like a fire hydrant every time.

Bruce thought it was hilarious because it was a close guarded secret that the only thing that made Tony blush were compliments.

Once Bucky figured out that complimenting Tony was the key, he showered the genius in praise.

The most hilarious part was the fake innocent look that Barnes would put on whenever Tony got flustered. Like he couldn’t possibly understand why his comment on Tony’s skill in engineering would cause such a reaction. He was full of shit. Bruce thought it was hilarious.

One particularly cute interaction happened at about midnight. Tony was barely holding onto consciousness when Bucky came down to check on the him. 

“Hey, sunshine, how are you?” Bucky asked.

That was another thing. Bucky was practically showering Tony in nicknames. Tony always gave people nicknames, but they rarely reciprocated. By the shy but genuine smile on Tony’s face, maybe that’s what he wanted all along.

“Good! We’re on the edge of a break through. Get ready, Frozone because you’re about to be wowed.”

Bucky leaned his body against Tony’s desk and crossed his arms.

“Is that so?” Bucky smirked.

Tony blinked a couple times before he was able to respond.

Bruce found this part funny too. Tony and Bucky were both very flirty personalities, and in Tony’s case people didn’t normally play along. The two of them together were completely off the rails. They were so flirty with each other that Bruce was sure Steve would burst a blood vessel if he saw it.

“Yeah it is.” Tony purred.

For all of Tony’s show, he was remarkably gentle with Bucky when they actually worked on his arm.

He asked how Bucky was feeling about ever two seconds and constantly narrated what he was doing so that he would know what was going on. Bruce was shocked when he observed this for this first time. Tony never went on any unrelated science tangents, and he explained everything in a way that Bucky would understand without being condescending. Bruce thought it might have had something to do with how Tony got the Arc Reactor. He’d never said much about it, but you didn’t have to be a genius to realize that he went to Afghanistan without it and came out with it. Bruce’s guess was that Tony was not part of the decision to cut open his chest and shove metal in it

Bucky seemed to recognize their unspoken bond as well. He never looked anything other than comfortable when Tony worked on his arm even though it must have triggered him. Bucky was subtle about it, but Bruce noticed the way he stiffened when Tony was gone and it was just the two of them. Something about Tony just naturally calmed him.

Like Bruce said, they made excellent friends.

Personally, Bruce also thought they would make excellent boyfriends. But that was just his opinion. His very qualified opinion. He was a scientist after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always please leave kudos and a comment if you enjoyed!


	3. Clint

Clint was ready to get on his knees and thank God. Or Thor. Whatever. He wasn’t picky. But his prayers had just been answered in the form of an old cardboard box that he found deep within Tony’s basement. See, Tony sent Clint over to his childhood home to retrieve some stuff that Howard had saved. Tony had specifically instructed Clint to only get the box that said Steve’s Stuff and leave the rest alone. And Clint was planning on doing that… until he saw a box titled Young Tony Stuff. That was too much temptation for poor Clint to handle. Really, he was the victim here. He didn’t open it, but that was all his self-control could handle. He hauled it into the backseat of the shield car he “borrowed” and that was that.

He could barely contain his excitement as he brought it into the communal floor. Natasha saw the glint in his eyes immediately.

“Do I even want to know what you’re up to?” She asked.

“Probably not, but I’m going to tell you anyway, so I’m not the only one responsible.” Clint responded cheerfully. He hopped up onto the kitchen counter where he’d put the box. “This is a box of Tony’s childhood stuff.”

“This can’t possibly go well” Natasha drawled.

“That’s what I’m counting on!” Clint broke the seal and grinned maniacally.

He opened the box and peered inside. He slammed it shut and locked eyes with Natasha.

“I’m calling a team meeting” He declared.

The rest of the team filed in after he sent out a group text that read “EmERGEnCY! (not like an Avengers one but it’s still important to me)”. The fact that they didn’t come running into the room was almost offensive.

“What is this for? Did you get the stuff for Steve?” Tony asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Yes, I did get Steve’s boring stuff, but I also got something else. A box of Tony’s childhood things, and it’s very important that everyone see them.”

Tony’s face paled. His eyes flashed very quickly to Bucky and Steve before focusing back on Clint. He looked pleading. Clint almost took pity on him, but he was an asshole and this opportunity was too good to miss out on. He pulled out the first item. It was a well-worn stuffed animal. The colors all faded pastel from being so well loved. Clint was expecting a reaction, but no one really moved. Tony from horror and the rest from confusion.

“I don’t understand” Thor voiced slowly.

“This is a Bucky Bear. It was sold as a companion to the Captain AmerBear, but that bear is absent from Tony’s box of prized possessions” Clint giggled.

“Clint seriously, stop. This isn’t funny to me.” Tony’s face was bright red, and he looked seriously mad. Clint was too far in this to stop.

Next Clint pulled out a collection of photographs that he displayed to the group.

The first was a very pouty toddler Tony Stark dressed in a Captain America onesie. His eyes were huge and glassy. He was posed next to a grinning Peggy Carter. Tony had the Bucky Bear tucked in his arms. His bottom lip was sticking out. When he flipped the picture around, Peggy’s writing was scrawled on the back. The picture was labeled “Tony was very upset when he realized there were no Bucky Barnes pajamas. The world will surely pay for this injustice.”

“Holy shit” Steve muttered.

The second was a child aged Tony dressed up in full World War II regalia. The little name tag proclaimed him as Bucky Barnes. He was on the shoulders of “Dum Dum” a member of the Howling Commandos. The rest of the Commandos surrounded him with big grins. Tony looked like he was in the middle of laughing. His cheeks were flushed red, and his eyes were squeezed shut. The back of the picture read “Halloween- Tony’s uncles finally came for a visit. He cried when they dubbed him an honorary commando”

“Oh my god” Steve and Bucky spoke at the same time. They’d probably known logically that Tony had grown up with the same people they’d left behind, but to see it was different.

The third and last was a teenage Tony Stark probably from MIT. He had a red mark on his cheek like he’d been freshly slapped, but he was smirking. His hair was relatively long for him and the curls were falling on his forehead. His middle finger was proudly displayed for the camera. He was dressed in what looked like a sexy version of Bucky’s outfit. He was wearing combat boots, booty shorts, and Bucky’s signature blue coat that was not buttoned at all. Standing beside him was a thoroughly exasperated teenage Rhodey who appeared to be dressed as Captain America; his head was in his hands like he was embarrassed to even be there. Clint didn’t even get to turn the picture around before someone interrupted.

Bucky let out a startled gasp, and Tony groaned.

“Okay, okay, look, I may have been a Bucky Barnes fan when I was a kid okay so what? Clint ran around wearing circus tights during his childhood. It’s not that big of a deal.” Tony’s face was still red, and it was clear that he was uncomfortable with the position he had just been put in.

Natasha was grinning, and Bruce was hiding his giggles behind his hands. Thor just watched with wide eyes as the drama unfolded.

“Is that why you’ve been so weird around Bucky?” Steve questioned.

“I haven’t been weird!” Tony screeched.

“It’s because Tony clearly has a huge crush on Bucky and has for his entire life.” Clint interjected.

“Shut up!” Tony shouted. He grabbed his photos out of Clint’s hands and shoved them in his jean pocket.

“Awe, doll. I think it’s cute.” Bucky teased.

Tony let out a strangled scream before fleeing the room. When he left the confident expression on Bucky’s face disappeared.

There was blatant longing in his eyes.

“Come on. Let’s go spar. Don’t worry about Tony” Steve said.

“I’ll be there in a second. I want to grab some water.” Bucky waved him off.

As soon as Steve was gone, Bucky turned to Natasha.

“He probably doesn’t still own that outfit, right? From the last picture.” He stood there in silence for a moment staring off into the distance before he trailed after Steve.

Clint cackled, “this is too freaking good. Tony really does still have a crush on him.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay! Everything was busy with the holiday season. If you enjoyed, please leave a comment :)


	4. Thor

People often had the misconception that Thor was stupid just because he was from another planet. At first it had really upset him. The only person who seemed to understand his plight was Steve who was also constantly being underestimated due to his seeming “innocence.” Soon though, Thor had learned to use people’s assumptions to his advantage. Steve still got frustrated about his treatment which was fine, but Thor found it was much more fun to play into what people expected of him. It made it much easier to do whatever he wanted.

He learned a lot of that from Tony. Everyone expected Tony to be an asshole playboy, and he played into that quite often. It made it easier for him to execute his plans undetected. People often forgot about his intelligence because of his wild personality, and if people wouldn’t change their minds, Thor thought that was a pretty good solution.

In this case, he was going to use his skill against Tony. Tony didn’t particularly underestimate Thor for being an alien as much as he was just used to being so much smarter than everyone else in the room that it was hard to tell what other people knew.

Ever since Clint showed Tony’s childhood photos to everyone things changed. Tony was even more stilted and awkward around Bucky than he was when they first met, but Bucky on the other hand barely left Tony alone. It was clear that Tony wanted to be with Bucky but was uncomfortable being so vulnerable. It was also quite possible that Tony and Bucky had no idea about their growing feelings for each other. They needed a push.

He waited until Tony and Bucky were in a room together without Steve which took a little longer than he’d anticipated. He didn’t want Steve to be there only because he complicated things. He was the only one more oblivious about Tony and Bucky than they were, and it was likely he’d interfere with Thor’s plan if he was there.

Tony was sitting in an arm chair with a tablet tucked into his lap. Bucky was sitting on the couch facing the tv, but wasn’t paying attention the anything that was going on. He was watching Tony.

Thor almost sighed. Sometimes humans were so stupid.

There was only one way to rectify this situation: slamming these idiots over the head with a hammer (metaphorically).

“Anthony! It is good to see you!” Thor beamed at the smaller man.

Tony looked up from his tablet and grinned, “Well, hey, Point Break.”

“It surprises me that you aren’t sitting with your love, have you had an argument?” Thor asked with a worried expression on his face.

Instead of instantly thinking someone was playing a trick on him like he would have with another team member, Tony just looked confused.

Tony dropped his tablet into his lap and furrowed his brow, “Thor, what are you talking about?”

Thor turned towards Bucky and asked him, “has something happened between the two of you?”

“Thor… we aren’t… nothing is really… I don’t” Bucky stuttered, not quite sure what to say. He glanced towards Tony desperately.

“We aren’t dating.” Tony concluded.

Bucky swallowed and turned his eyes towards the floor. He looked so incredibly hurt. Thor wondered how Tony got to be so stupid. It was obvious to anyone with eyes that Bucky was head over heels, or maybe… it was obvious to anyone with eyes besides Steve and Tony.

Thor tried to make his face look as genuinely confused as possible, “I understand that you were keeping things quiet around the team, but I was sure that you two were romantically entangled.”

Tony sputtered, “Thor, come on. Is this because of what Clint showed the team? Because I thought I told everyone to forget about that.” His face started to turn red. It was clear the incident still made him embarrassed.

“Hard to forget” Bucky mumbled.

Tony whipped his head around to stare at him. His face got even redder and a scowl was starting to form.

Thor knew the signs of Tony getting ready to push people away very well. This was not how he had hoped this conversation would go. He needed to somehow change the subject or show Tony that it was not shameful to appreciate another warrior.

“I was fans of many warriors when I was a child that I have since gotten to meet. It is slightly embarrassing sure, but not that big of a deal.” Thor said softly.

“Not that big of a deal?” Tony was getting worked up now, “Clint showed private pictures of me to the whole team without my approval. Aside from the fact that I wasn’t really in the mood to engage in family story time, it was a shitty thing to do. It’s one thing to know someone was a fan of yours and entirely another to see it.” Tony clenched his jaw and looked away.

“You’re right, doll. It wasn’t cool of Clint to do that, but I’m glad he did. You were cute back then sure, and I thought they were adorable pictures, but you’re my friend. That stuff isn’t important.”

Bucky started to shift forwards in his chair, and Thor started to back away. Hopefully, his job was done. All Tony had to do was not freak out.

“Adorable pictures… right. It’s not like he showed you a photo of me being a complete slut. Oh wait, he did.” Tony sneered.

“Don’t call yourself that!” Bucky shouted, standing up. His face flushed red with anger. Thor was positive he was only angry at the people that made Tony think that was an acceptable descriptor for himself, but Tony seemed to take it as a challenge. He stood up too.

“I’ll call myself whatever I want. I wore that stupid fucking outfit to get a rise out of my dad. Rhodey wanted so badly to dress up like Captain America, so of course I agreed to be his Bucky Barnes. Howard always hated how I used to look at pictures of you, so when I showed up to his house wearing that outfit, he hit me in the face and told me I would never get anywhere being a filthy queer. My butler took that picture trying to salvage the evening, and then I went to a Halloween party and tried to make out with as many people as possible. That’s not exactly something I wanted advertised to our whole team, but hey it’s typical Tony behavior to whore himself out to anything that breathes so might as well.” Tony’s chest was heaving, and he was right up in Bucky’s face.

Bucky’s brow was furrowed, and he looked completely furious. His whole body was still. He grabbed the front of Tony’s shirt and pulled him closer. He stared in Tony’s eyes for a second before kissing him.

Thor thought the kiss looked a little bit violent. He wondered whether or not he should leave. Probably leave.

Tony pushed Bucky away and stumbled backwards, “I won’t do this… not with you. I can’t… not like this.”

Bucky looked completely destroyed when Tony left the room without looking back. He clenched his fists.

“If I might-” Thor started to comfort him, when he was interrupted.

“Not now. Just… not right now.” Bucky mumbled. He turned and walked off in the opposite direction as Tony.

Thor massaged his temples. Humans were truly idiots. He wasn’t sure if he made everything worse or managed to push at least one of them into awareness about their feelings. He had a feeling Tony knew what he felt for Bucky but was convinced that Bucky could never like him back. He wondered if it was time to get Steve involved.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next up is Steve! Please leave a comment if you're enjoying it.


	5. Steve

Steve knew that there was something wrong with Bucky from the second he saw him.

Bucky was sitting on the floor of Steve’s room just staring at his hands. His dark hair fell in front of his face like a curtain. His shoulders were hunched over, and the room was completely dark. Steve tried not to sigh. It made him so upset when Bucky got like this: all still and quiet.

“What’s wrong, Buck?” He asked.

Bucky just shrugged his shoulders.

“Are you going to make me guess?” Steve asked with a raised eyebrow. Steve Rogers was a stubborn idiot. He would sit there asking about anything from a stray piece of lint to a full-scale government conspiracy for hours if it made Bucky talk.

Bucky looked conflicted; he wasn’t particularly in the mood to deal with a full-fledged Steve Rogers interrogation which is what he would get if he didn’t say anything. He seemed to be struggling with something before giving up and saying “It’s about Tony.”

“Oh, Tony? Buck, I told you not to let Tony’s attitude get to you. He’s just uncomfortable because of the whole childhood photo incident. He’ll get over it in no time.” Steve laid a hand on his shoulder.

“I don’t think so… and it’s not really about that.” Bucky bit his lip.

“What is it about?” Steve asked. He sat down on the floor next to his friend and tried to make his face look as unjudgmental as possible.

“I’m in love with him.” Bucky choked out.

“You’re what?!” Steve exclaimed. Steve blinked a couple of times before his eyebrows started to furrow, “Okay so… you’re in love with him, and I’m an idiot for not seeing it, but neither of those things are new, are they?”

Bucky snorted, “no.”

“So, what happened?”

“I kissed him, and he said that he would never do that kind of thing with me, and then ran away.”

Steve took a moment to try and figure out why Tony would have done something like that. Even if Tony wasn’t interested in Bucky, he would have let him down gently if they were friends. There was something else going on. Steve wasn’t proclaiming himself a Tony expert, and he was perhaps the worst person to go to for interpreting Tony’s behavior, but he was pretty sure if Tony didn’t like Bucky, they would have all heard about it by now. God knew, his distrust of Steve was common knowledge.

“That sounds like how Tony would react if I kissed him, Buck. Did something happen before that?”

“We were talking about those pictures of him, and he started calling himself a slut. I told him to knock it off, and then he started ranting about Howard. I was just so mad, Steve. No one should have ever called him that. So, I just kind of grabbed him. We kissed, and it seemed like he was responding, but then he pushed me away and told me that. So, it’s over, I guess. I’ve been an idiot thinking Tony Stark could ever like me.” Bucky clenched his jaw.

Steve wondered where to start with that, “So, Howard was involved. I’m not making any excuses, but Howard and Tony had a horrible relationship and anything that reminds him of that, he pushes away. Tony and I don’t have a great relationship for a lot of reasons, but Natasha’s sat me down and called me an idiot enough now that I realize that has a lot to do with it. I remind him of his childhood, and it makes him freaked out. He was probably on edge because of that even before you kissed him.”

Steve could tell that Bucky still wasn’t listening to him, “Also, he was calling himself a slut, and then you kissed him? Even if he likes you, he might have thought you were just trying to sleep with him.”

“Why the fuck would he have thought that? I went basically homicidal over the idea that he was a slut.”

“I dunno, Buck. You know that I’m not great with the whole talking it out emotions thing, and Tony and I aren’t very close. I do know that a lot of people who Tony thought loved him used him for sex. It’s hard to break a trend like that.” Steve shrugged.

“When the fuck did you start giving out advice that wasn’t go punch something?” Bucky grumbled.

Steve laughed, “And one more thing. You said the name Tony Stark like he would never be into you or like he’s some type of untouchable thing. That’s ridiculous.”

“It is not! He’s a billionaire genius superhero. He’s so out of my league it isn’t even funny.”

“You realize people say the same thing about me, right?” Steve proposed.

Bucky’s nose wrinkled in disgust, “I don’t understand why though. Just because you’re Captain America doesn’t mean you aren’t a little punk asshole.”

Steve laughed, “Just because everyone thinks Tony’s this untouchable hero doesn’t make him one.” He saw Bucky getting ready to argue and held up his hand, “Tony is a hero, sure, but he’s also the guy that has a robot he built when he was sixteen still in his lab as his partner. He’s also the guy who used to dress up like you as a kid, and doesn’t really understand how to function like a real person, and who picks fights with me over breakfast. Besides, Bucky you were his childhood hero. You’d think if anyone feels out of their league and starstruck, it’s probably Tony.”

Bucky’s eyes widened, and Steve wanted to slump in relief that he’d finally got through to him.

“Since when did you start saying smart stuff?” Bucky asked with a raised eyebrow.

“I’ve always said smart stuff.” Steve insisted.

“Are you shitting me? You used to tell me that it was reasonable to pick fights with guys four times your size because the rage that inhabited your heart would fill you with ungodly amounts of strength. Which by the way never worked!” Bucky ranted.

Steve just sat there with a pleasant smile on his face, “It’s seems to be working now. It was a long con.”

“It was not a fucking long con. You did not know you were-” Bucky stood up and started waving his arms around.

Steve grinned, “I’m serious though, Buck. I think you should try again with Tony. Just lay all of your feelings out there. He’s kind of stupid for a genius.”

Bucky bit his lip, “I’m scared.”

Steve smirked, “The Winter Soldier is a ghost, no one can beat him, except of course for Tony Stark who can take him out by existing.”

Bucky grabbed a pillow and lobbed it at him. Steve took the hit to the face without reacting. He hoped that Bucky would take his advice. The only person more oblivious than Steve was Tony. There was no way that Tony knew Bucky was in love with him.


	6. Bucky

Bucky realized in hindsight that kissing Tony for the first time in the middle of an argument probably wasn’t the best plan. It wasn’t the best circumstance from him to confess his crush, and it wasn’t like he’d even said anything. He needed to talk to Tony about everything. Best case scenario, Steve was right and they talk it out like rational people. Worst case scenario, Steve was wrong and Tony hated him and Bucky would have to dig a whole in the ground and live there forever. But Bucky was fine! And everything was fine!

So, for his own peace of mind, he needed to talk to Tony about everything. Also, he was pretty sure if he didn’t then Steve would make fun of him for the rest of time, and he wasn’t prepared to deal with that.

His biggest struggle -other than mustering the courage to make words come out of his mouth- was actually finding Tony. He tried to ask Jarvis, but the AI was silent. Bucky figured that Tony was probably locked in the lab on lockdown. He tried not to get too discouraged. Tony could stay in lockdown for weeks at a time if he was really persistent. Bucky really wanted to get this over with.

He made his way down to Tony’s lab with a sinking feeling in his gut. He knew that there was no way Tony was going to let him in, but he still felt like he needed to try.

He was shocked when he saw that the glass to the workshop was still clear. Normally when he went on lockdown, he blocked off all of the windows. Inside, Tony was standing with a wrench in his hand gesturing around wildly. He looked like he was on the verge of breaking down. In front of him was… Clint?

Clint was sitting criss cross on Tony’s desk with a sad expression on his face. He had a Band-Aid right over his nose and was wearing the ugliest purple skinny jeans that Bucky had ever seen. It was hard not to groan at the sight of him.

Occasionally when Tony would pause in his rant, Clint seemed to say something. Bucky watched as Clint pried the wrench from Tony’s hands and set it down beside him. Clint’s hands were up in the air, and it looked like he was pleading.

Bucky thought that maybe Clint was finally apologizing for showing the pictures of Tony to everyone. Bucky was glad they were repairing their relationship. The tension was awkward. It occurred to Bucky that he shouldn’t just be standing there like a stalker. He was about to go hit the button that would alert Tony to his presence when the man himself turned around. Bucky watched as his face shifted into something almost unbearably soft then panic and then shuttered back to his closed off neutral expression.

Clint was saying something to Tony that earned him a shove. They looked like they were having a mini fight. They were shoving each other half-heartedly. Bucky wanted to roll his eyes. Those two were like the most annoying brothers ever. Clint laughed and swung his body into the vent above Tony’s desk. As soon as he was gone, Tony looked back over at him. Bucky watched his shoulders slump and felt his heart clench. He hated it when Tony was sad.

The door to the lab opened, and Bucky didn’t know what to say. He tried to look calm as he sauntered up to Tony with his hands in his pockets.

“We should probably talk about what happened in the living room the other day.” Bucky managed to say.

“Or, consider this, we could forget that that ever happened and move on.” Tony’s eyes were guarded as he stared at the taller man.

“I don’t think so.” Bucky said with a small smile.

“I told you I wasn’t interested. I’m sorry if that upsets you, but your opinion doesn’t truly matter very much.” Tony was clenching his hands together so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

“What aren’t you interested in?” Bucky probed.

“I get that I have a reputation, okay? I made that very clear the other day, and my stupid crush on you must have been obvious since you saw those photos, but I’m not interested in having sex with you. I’m not… I can’t do that. Not with you.” Tony’s jaw was clenched, and he was staring at the floor.

“You have a crush on me?” Bucky asked, his voice a whisper in the silent room.

Tony scoffed, “you can’t tell me that you didn’t know.”

“Tony, I swear, I didn’t. I mean I hoped but…”

“You hoped?” Tony’s big eyes lifted up to meet Bucky’s.

“Yeah… Tony, I’m completely gone on you.” Bucky said with a little laugh.

“Are you fucking with me?” Tony asked, taking a step back “because that’s really not funny.”

“I’m not joking, sweetheart. I’ve been gone on you ever since I first saw you. You were so cute even when I thought you hated me. And then, when you started fixing my arm in the workshop, you were so careful with me. It was amazing having your full attention centered on me, and I never felt like I was just some lab experiment. You were so soft and kind and I haven’t had a lot of people treat me that way. And watching you open up to me? I don’t think there’s anything more beautiful in the whole world then when you talk science. Your eyes light up, and you move your hands all around, and you do the cutest little bounce when you get really worked up. I thought I was going to die when Clint showed us those pictures. That picture of you in my jacket. I walked into the wall about seven times that day thinking about it. Steve couldn’t figure out what was wrong with me. He always was kind of stupid.” Bucky took a couple cautious steps towards Tony when he laughed.

“I kissed you that day with Thor because I didn’t want to hear you talk about yourself like that anymore. I love you, Tony, and it pissed me off to hear about how much other people have treated you like shit and how you believe you deserve it. I didn’t realize you would think I was trying to get you to fuck you. I thought you were rejecting the idea of dating me that day. That’s the only reason I didn’t go right after you and explain. Steve was the one who actually ended up knocking some sense into me. Go figure.” Bucky rolled his eyes.

“You really mean all of that?” Tony asked. Tony curled his fingers around the fabric of Bucky’s shirt.

“Of course.” Bucky said simply.

Tony grinned before yanking Bucky closer to him. He gripped the back of Bucky’s neck and raised his other hand to caress his stubble as he connected their lips. Bucky couldn’t believe this was happening. He couldn’t stop running his hands all over Tony’s body. It felt like a dream. Tony moaned against his lips, and Bucky swore that he was in heaven.

Bucky pulled back and looked at Tony. His brown eyes were wide and searching Bucky just as eagerly. His cheeks were bright red, and he was breathing heavily. His lips were pink and slightly swollen. His hair was a complete wreck from motor oil, and Bucky running his hands through it.

“So, how about you let me take you on date? I’ll let you wear my jacket.” Bucky teased lightly. 

Tony shoved his shoulder, “I shouldn’t want to go out with someone who never stops teasing me.”

“But you do.” Bucky grinned, slow and devious, “I’m your hero, right? You should be swooning in my arms.”

Tony turned even redder before crossing his arms, “I changed my mind. I hate you.”

“Awe, sugar, it’s okay. I’ll tell you a secret. Iron Man’s my hero, and the fact that I’m in the room with him is making me a little weak in the knees. A boy from the forties who loved science, well… Iron Man is kinda the coolest thing he’s ever seen.” Bucky scratched the back of his neck a little awkwardly.

“Well then… I suppose we’ll have to be each other’s heroes.” Tony said with a soft smile.

Bucky grabbed Tony’s hand and laced their fingers together, “That sounds... perfect.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys for reading this story! It's the first WinterIron fanfiction that I've ever written. Please leave a comment if you liked it :)


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